Condemn the attacks of Hamas

Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Þórdís Kol­brún Reyk­f­jörð Gyl­fa­dóttir tells mbl.is that Israel has the full right to defend itself against the terrorist attacks that began last night.

The Palestinian terrorist and political organization Hamas has killed 100 Israelis in its attacks. The Israeli army has killed 200 Palestinians in its counter-attacks.

“Iceland condemns the terrorist attacks that began last night and continue to happen. Israel has the right to defend itself against such attacks, in accordance with the international law that applies to it. There is a strong reason to be concerned about this situation,” Gylfadóttir says.

Gylfadóttir says that the local government is monitoring the situation closely and is focusing on the need to ensure the safety of people and “put an end to the cycle of violence in the region”.

In communication with Icelanders

As has been reported there are a considerable number of Icelanders in Israel. Gylfadóttir says the civil service is in communication with them.

“The Citizen’s Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacts with Icelanders in the region and to our knowledge they are safe and sound,” she says.

Concerned about the escalation

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir told mbl.is that she is very concerned about the escalation of the conflicts taking place in Israel and Gaza due to the continued terrorist attacks by the Hamas terrorist group, which began yesterday.

“Of course, this is absolutely devastating, the terrible attacks yesterday morning. We can see that in these 24 hours the level of severity has increased very rapidly. There are a lot of casualties in one day and it looks like this situation could escalate with Hezbollah’s involvement in Lebanon,” Jakobsdóttir says, adding:

“This is just a terrible scenario that we are seeing unfolding in a region that has a long history of conflict and great cruelty in the past.”